The jumper, described by police as white and in his 40s, held his arms up "like Superman," a witness said, and jumped into the water around 1:17 p.m.

The leap sparked a rescue effort that included NYPD Harbor patrol boats, a helicopter and an Island-based tugboat from Moran Towing.

Workers from the Moran tug, the Lee T. Moran, were first on the scene and secured the man with a flotation device called a lifesling. Crewmembers lowered a ladder off the side of the boat for the man to climb, and NYPD Harbor Patrol units eventually got the man out of the water.